At least 10 Nepali climbers are missing after an avalanche struck a staging camp near Himlung Himal in Nepal’s Manang district on Sunday. The climbers were preparing routes, fixing ropes and setting up camp ahead of an expedition by foreign mountaineers. Rescue efforts have been delayed by heavy snowfall and poor weather, highlighting the dangers facing Nepal’s climbing industry.

The missing group includes eight members of one expedition team and two from another company. Himlung Himal is 7,126 metres high and lies near Nepal’s border with Tibet, where conditions have been particularly hazardous after persistent rain and snow. The incident follows recent avalanche threats on Mount Manaslu and the deaths of six Nepali climbers on Pakistan’s Broad Peak less than two months ago.